Typically when people ask me if I miss high school, I respond with something along the lines of "you could not pay me enough to go back" followed by a brief moment of reflection. After that moment, I realize that there are a few of aspects of the high school experience that I do miss: being on the academic team, how easy the assignments were, and going to prom. Prom is one of those exciting, yet cringe-worthy, times of the the high school experience. It certainly had its ups and downs, but there was, I now realize...a little too late, a particular formula for how to prom.

First of all, you needed to find the perfect dress. I went to prom every year of high school, and my dress choice evolved quite a bit over the four years. You spend countless hours in different shops trying on dress after dress looking for one that compliments your body in just the right way. My dress choices kind of reflected my own personal transformation over the four years. I started my freshman year with a traditional blue ballgown-y princess-y dress. Then I got a bit more daring with a slimming blue evening gown with a slit on the side sophomore year of high school. Junior year took a turn with an all gold number to speak to the theme of "The Great Gatsby" that my junior class had planned. I ended my high school prom life with a striking royal blue (Go Cats! Am I right, guys?) two piece gown. It was a gorgeous dress that I would not have dared to imagine myself wearing in the years prior to my senior year (no picture is quite able to do that magnificent dress justice, but the one above does an alright job). But hey...you have to go out with a bang.

Once you have the perfect dress, that you undoubtedly found several months before prom season, you have to find someone to go with. If you are like me, you went with a friend every year. My freshman year I went with a boy from my church. Then the other three years I went with boys from the academic team. Coincidentally, my prom dates that were also my teammates happened to always be the science-y person on the team. Looking back, I feel like I definitely had a type when it came to prom dates.

Next you need flowers. I drifted from daisies to roses and ended with a peachy-orange lily on my final year. Lilies are my favorite, so I thought the orange pop would compliment the royal blue well. You also have to find the perfect accessories to tie the dress and flowers together.

Last but not least, you needed a way to get there. My senior year was definitely my favorite in this department. I borrowed my cousin Derrick's red Mustang, and I felt like I was on top of the world. Nothing quite compares to roaring into a parking lot to take fancy prom pictures and having everyone wondering who is in that awesome car.

Now that you had all of these, you were ready to dance the night away. I loved looking fancy and dancing to my heart's content with my friends. Regardless of how I feel about high school in its entirety, prom will always hold a special place in my heart.

Lastly...you may have noticed all along the way that there is quite a lot of pictures of my senior prom. Senior prom had to be one of the best years of prom, and it is what I remember when I reflect back on high school prom experiences. I asked one of my teammates and friends if he would be my date. He was going to be leaving for The Gatton Academy later that year, so I wanted him to experience ECHS Prom. In addition to that, he is one of the sweetest and most brilliant people that I have ever met. From laser tagging the night before prom to rolling up your sleeves for you after you had been on the dance floor for a bit, I could not imagine that formula for a fantastic prom working out any other way for me. Thank you, Caleb. Thank you for being my friend and prom date. You are so fantastic, and I look forward to seeing all of the amazing things that you do in life. I will always be cheering on my favorite scientist.